Violence

4-06-2008 -- Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is significantly stepping up its humanitarian relief work in Somalia to respond to the deepening crisis there.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis face life-threatening food and water shortages due to the escalating armed conflict and the effects of the recent severe drought in central Somalia.

Somalia, April 2008: Photo by Feinstein International Center (CC)

High inflation and the worldwide rise in commodity prices, especially for key imports such as food and fuel, are aggravating the situation.    » read more »

June 3, 2007 -- Raleigh -- Reports of crime across North Carolina rose by 0.1 percent in 2007 while violent crime dropped by 0.7 percent, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper announced today.

“While no level of crime is acceptable, law enforcement’s work to keep the rate of violent crime down is much needed,” Cooper said. “But as any cop on the beat will tell you, when the economy goes down, crime goes up, and we’re troubled to see even a small increase in North Carolina’s overall crime rate."

The overall rate of index crime per 100,000 persons in North Carolina increased 0.1 percent compared to 2006.    » read more »

Irbil, Iraq -- 28 May 2008 -- An Amnesty International report on worldwide human rights says violence against women is widespread in northern Iraq.

In its report, Amnesty International says women and girls throughout the world suffer disproportionately from violence - in times of both peace and conflict - at the hands of their governments, their communities and their families.

Iraqi woman, Kurdistan: Photo by James Gordon (CC)

The report highlights the issue of violence against women as a major problem in northern Iraq. That is an assessment that the Kurdistan regional government's human-rights minister, Yousif Aziz, has already reached.    » read more »

May 22, 2008 -- In a speech to the Economic Club of Detroit in May 1999, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., committed to speak often on the issue of gun crimes. To date, he has made 274 Senate speeches on gun crimes since 1999; his remarks follow:

Children with gun: Photo by j.r.trauben (CC)    » read more »

21 May 2008 -- Iraqi police say at least 11 people have been killed by gunfire after a roadside bombing near Sadr City, a Shi'ite militia stronghold in Baghdad.

Local officials say the gunfire erupted Wednesday after roadside bombs exploded near a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol in the Obeidi neighborhood. The U.S. military, however, says none of its troops were involved.

Sadr City, Baghdad: Photo by James Gordon (CC)

Sadr City itself remained calm, a day after some 10,000 Iraqi troops began an operation aimed at bringing government control over the Shi'ite stronghold.    » read more »

16 May 2008 -- Since the beginning of 2008, the nation's capital has seen a sharp rise in gun violence.

Republican Party Presidential candidate John McCain is set to speak to members of The National Rifle Association on Friday, May 16. The powerful pro-gun lobbying group is holding its annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

Its members are watching to see whether the United States Supreme Court will overturn a 32-year-old handgun ban in Washington, D.C. next month.

The high court's review of the case comes as gun violence is on the rise in Washington. Police and community groups are desperately looking for ways to curb the crime wave.    » read more »

16 January 2008 -- The stage is again set for more post-election violence in Kenya Wednesday as the opposition Orange Democratic Movement of Raila Odinga has void to hold the first of a three-day nationwide rally. The ODM has called on the police to provide protection for the demonstrators as they express their constitutional right.

But the police have said that the rallies are illegal and would not be permitted. The police have also reportedly sealed off Uhuru Park in Nairobi, one of the key staging points of the nation-wide rallies.    » read more »